


Download Complete

by TransLunar



Series: DMMd/SnK Crossover [1]
Category: DRAMAtical Murder, Shingeki no Kyojin
Genre: Crossover, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-03-18 01:12:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3550553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TransLunar/pseuds/TransLunar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>NOTICE: HIATUS, POSSIBLY DISCONTINUED</p><p>Set in the DMMd universe, Aoba meets a firey kid who he can't seem to get away from. Not that he would want to.</p><p>Many events from the game are repeated, just slight changes and the "big picture" is way different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Logging In

**Author's Note:**

> So this is just an idea I had, I randomly paired Eren up with Aoba and started to build this scenario around them. I hope you enjoy. Please comment and rate, or whatever this site does I'm new.

Aoba couldn’t remember when he’d started working at Heibon anymore. It had become so much a part of his routine that it didn’t even matter. Haga-san was the best boss anyone could ask for. It didn’t pay much, but it was a consistent paycheck. Not that he really had a need for a bigger salary. He just wanted to continue to live his life as he was.

It was on a particular autumn day, however, that he felt very uneasy in his place behind the counter. The three evil brats hadn’t shown up to bother him and no one had tried to hit on him over the phone. He should have been feeling great. He frowned and tapped his fingers on the counter.

“Aoba.”

He turned to the low voice coming from his Allmate, Ren.

“Are you feeling all right? Your behavior suggests unrest. You got a full night of sleep and ate all your lunch toady. Is there a different factor I cannot detect?”

“I’m fine,” he responded. “I just feel a little... strange. Not anxious.... It’s like I feel like something isn’t quite right.... Like something is missing. Like I’m not really awake, but then I can pinch myself and I’m fine.”

“Aoba, you have felt this sensation before,” Ren reminded. “As I recall, the feeling has always passed without incident. It stands to reason that this will pass as well.”

“I guess,” Aoba said and stretched, looking at the clock. He only had a half hour until he got to leave. It was at this moment that the door opened and the bell rang. “Ah. Welcome to Junk Shop Heibon! How can I be of service?”

Aoba paused in his greeting as he caught sight of the customer. It was a kid. Well, probably out of high school, but he still looked young. His brown hair was messy, like it wouldn’t settle even with a gallon of hair spray, and his eyes were wide and... Aoba couldn’t decide if they were green or blue. They were a strange sort of mix. The boy was just standing right inside the door, looking around and obviously uncomfortable. His eyes settled on Aoba and he seemed to shake himself out of whatever funk he was in.

“Ah, sorry,” he said. He sounded as young as he looked, though obviously already past puberty. It was more the innocent unassuming tone with which he spoke that made him sound young, because the pitch was about the same as his own. “I was just passing by and thought I would come in.” He frowned. “So uh... what kinds of things do you sell?”

“Pretty much anything, really,” Aoba said. “Our most popular are Allmate parts. Do you have one? I could help you find a good upgrade.”

“Ah... I don’t... have one...,” the boy said, still looking around at all the stuff. He wandered closer to the counter, placing his hands on it. “Ah. Is that your Allmate?” He spotted Ren.

“Yeah, his name is Ren.” Aoba wasn’t sure why he was making small talk with a customer. He guessed he found the boy intriguing. “He’s an older model, though.”

“How do you keep up with maintenance? I heard they stopped making the parts for the older models,” the boy said, seeming to be genuinely concerned for Ren’s well-being.

“I scrounge for what I can and do a lot of the maintenance myself,” Aoba said. “It’s tough but I always manage.”

“Oh,” the boy said, still looking at Ren. He then seemed to realize where he was and stood up straight. “Ah. I’m really sorry. I can’t even really afford to buy anything, so I don’t know why I came in and bothered you for so long.” He bowed. “If you’ll excuse me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Aoba said and waved him off. “We don’t really get very busy in here, so a change is welcome every once in a while.” He smiled warmly, not wanting the kid to feel bad for not buying anything.

“Are you sure it’s okay?” the boy asked, not making a move to leave. “Is... is it okay if we talk a bit more?”

“It’s fine,” Aoba reassured him. “I’m Aoba, by the way.”

“Ah. My name is Eren.” Eren bowed again.

“You interested in Allmates, Eren?” Aoba asked. Eren nodded.

“I have an interest in electronics and mechanics,” he said. “I was wanting to go to college, but I can’t really afford it, so I’m just doing odd jobs in town when people let me.”

“Must be rough,” Aoba commented, knowing all too well how many kids finish school only to have to work the lowest jobs on the chain to earn enough just to survive and maybe help out their family. He was the same way, if he was honest with himself.

Aoba and Eren chatted until it was time for Aoba to leave. Haga-san came in from the back and bid them both a safe trip home. So they left together, continuing their discussion as they walked. Eren lived closest, so they spent even more time sitting outside of his little house on a swing, discussing the specifics of Ren’s mechanics. Eren had been utterly fascinated the first time he heard Ren speak. Aoba thought it was adorable how excited Eren got over learning new things.

“We’ll have to find you an Allmate that you can afford and we can fix it up together,” he suggested. “I fixed up Ren. Someone had dumped his frame in the trash and I fixed him up good as new.”

“That would be awesome!”

They were interrupted when Eren’s dad came home. He offered to let Aoba stay for dinner, but he politely declined. He had to go eat with his grandma.

“Stop by the shop again any time,” Aoba said in farewell.

“I will!” Eren called as Aoba returned to the street and made his way home.

Koujaku was there to eat all their food again.

“You’re late!” he called from the table. Granny was cooking at the stove.

“I know, I know,” Aoba said and took a seat beside him. “I was talking with a friend and we lost track of time.”

“Mizuki?” Koujaku asked.

“No, actually. A kid came into the shop today and we were talking about Allmates,” Aoba said and yawned. “He was nice. Really determined and eager to learn.” He frowned. “I still can’t tell what color his eyes are. It’s weird.”

“Why does it matter what color his eyes were?” Koujaku asked. “Your eyes change color too. You don’t see me complaining.”

“Eh? They do?” Aoba asked, raising a hand to his eyelid. “I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, but only when you get really serious about something,” Koujaku said. “They turn kind of golden yellow. It’s kind of creepy. Remind me never to get you mad.”

“Whatever, hippo,” Aoba said, swatting at his friend as Granny put the food on the table, ignoring their banter as always. They ate happily and Koujaku left a little later, needing to finish up some things before morning.

Aoba laid on his bed with Ren sitting on his chest. He would occasionally talk, voicing some of the more confusing thoughts running through his head for a bit of input from his partner. He didn’t speak of Eren, even though he was the most pressing thought on his mind. He almost felt anxious about seeing him at the shop again. He couldn’t figure out why. It was that same strange feeling he had earlier that day: that he was dreaming. The problem with that feeling is that he didn’t know what he could possibly wake up to, if he woke up.

Whenever he thought back to when he had that feeling, nothing special ever happened, but the feeling would linger until... Ah yes... It always preceded a change that he would have to get used to. When he was about seven or eight and his parents left, he’d had the feeling the night before and had it for months after they were gone. It only went away when he was able to sleep all the way through the night without waking up and crying. Then again when Koujaku left the island, he’d had the feeling. It hadn’t lasted as long, because he’d begun to force himself to get over it faster. He’d had the feeling yet again after he woke up from his accident a few years ago. It hadn’t left until he’d gotten things straightened out with Granny that time. Then when Koujaku came back, Aoba had felt it again. It wasn’t always associated with negative things. Just changes.

And the only change he could see corresponding with it this time was Eren. It was probably his brain just making connections where there were none to be made, but he felt that the uneasy feeling would go away as soon as Aoba got used to Eren being around. He decided that if he offered to let him stay for dinner again, he would go. He wanted to get comfortable around him and his father as fast as possible, because the uneasy feeling was far from pleasant. It helped that Eren was interesting. He’d probably continue to hang out around him anyways, even if he hadn’t felt strange.

He would get used to this one too.

He always did.

He tapped Ren’s forehead, putting him in sleep mode and turned onto his side, keeping the sleeping frame close for a bit of warmth and softness. After a few minutes of trying to turn his brain off, he slipped into dreams he wouldn’t remember, the sound of Ren’s processor humming quietly soothing enough to lull him to sleep.


	2. Drive-By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's where things start to overlap with the game (aside from Koujaku being a big mooch last chapter). Please leave feedback on things I can improve on or even just your thoughts.

Over the next few days, Aoba spent his days with the uneasy feeling. Eren hadn’t come into the shop again. He was beginning to think he wouldn’t, but the feeling wouldn’t go away. He didn’t want to talk to Ren about it. Ren was great with advice on how to interact in a socially acceptable way, but not with things that were based on personal feelings and intuition. That’s what Aoba had started to call the feeling: his intuition.

So on Friday, he hadn’t expected Eren to walk into the shop, but he was almost relieved and definitely happy to see him. Eren had been busy with job interviews all week, and hadn’t been able to make it over during hours of operation. He then admitted with a mumble that he didn’t want Aoba to see him in his interview clothes.

“Eh? Why?”

“It’s embarrassing,” Eren almost growled. “My sister practically attacked my hair with this awful stuff; I could hardly breathe all week and my hair looked like plastic. Not that it really kept it smooth anyways.”

“You have a sister?”

“Adopted,” Eren clarified. “Her parents were friends of my dad’s, and they died when we were nine, so we took her in.”

“Poor girl,” Aoba sympathized. “At least she had you, huh?” Eren chuckled a little at that.

“Yeah, but she’s really overprotective of me now,” he said. He began to fidget, like he wanted to say something but didn’t know how.

“What’s up?” Aoba asked, hoping to get it out of him.

“I uh...” Eren nibbled at his lip. “I might have a job soon.” He couldn’t help the smile from forming on his lips. “One of my interviews went really well. I should hear back from them by tomorrow.” He sighed, almost in relief. “I haven’t told anyone yet. I don’t know why I wanted to tell you first.” Aoba smiled.

“Really? You wanted to tell me first?” When Eren nodded, Aoba couldn’t help but chuckle happily. “Well let’s hope it goes well then. I never asked, so this is kind of random, but how old are you?”

“Oh, I’m seventeen,” Eren responded. “I graduated high school this summer, so a job comes next for me.”

“That's good that you have your priorities set,” Aoba said. “I wasn’t very good in school. I guess you could say I was a delinquent.” He chuckled.

“Really?” Eren’s eyes widened, and Aoba was brought back to the internal debate over what color they really were. “You don’t seem like you were.”

“Well that was a handful of years ago,” Aoba said, not really wanting to talk about his past, since he couldn’t really remember it very well. “Let’s just say it took hospitalization to get me back on track.”

“Whoa. That’s rough. How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-three,” Aoba confessed with a strained expression. He felt old.

“Wow, you’re the oldest friend I’ve ever had,” Eren said, then began stuttering, trying to backtrack. “I mean, not that you’re old. You’re perfectly cool.” Aoba couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s okay, kid,” he said.

“I’m not a kid,” Eren said through pursed lips, his face contorting in an almost comic anger.

“Fine, fine~ Eren,” Aoba amended. “You don’t call me old and I won’t call you a kid. Deal?”

“Deal,” Eren said and shook his hand. “It is strange though. I usually don’t talk to people as easily when I first meet them. I have a bit of a temper. Mikasa says that’s why I only have one friend. Well... now I have two.” He smiled over the counter, finding a box to sit on carefully while they chatted.

“Mikasa, is that your sister?” Aoba asked.

“Yeah,” Eren said. “And my other friend’s name is Armin. He’s practically a genius. He’s going to college on a full-ride scholarship to the mainland. Can you believe that?”

“The mainland?” Aoba asked, surprised. “But it’s impossible to leave from the Old Resident District.”

“Unless you have permission from Toue,” Eren reminded. “Armin is so smart, he’s going to work his way up into Toue Inc. They already have their eyes on him.” He sighed. “I mean, I’m happy for him and all. But there’s no way I’ll ever get to leave this island. I guess I just wonder if he’ll ever come back. Or if he’ll forget about me completely.”

“Hey,” Aoba said, bringing Eren’s attention back to him. “No one could forget you. Especially if you’ve been friends for so long. Okay?” He gave a small smile, hoping to lift his spirits a little. Eren returned it.

“Okay,” he said softly. “I’ll try to believe that.” He chuckled wryly. “Maybe if I become well-known enough with Allmates I’ll be hired to make new models and stuff.”

“You just might,” Aoba said with a bigger smile. “Speaking of, have you thought about building your own?”

“Yeah, I have,” Eren said, switching gears. “I think I want a bigger one, like a wolf or a bigger dog or something.” Aoba nodded.

“I think that would suit you,” he said. Eren chuckled.

“Like how you suit a little Pomeranian?*” He laughed and ducked as Aoba threw his pen at his head.

“You’re a little brat, you know that?” he scolded but laughed all the same. “So what if I like my fluffy puppy? He’s adorable.”

“Yeah, yeah~ he is,” Eren agreed, sitting back up.

Haga-san came out of the back with a delivery to end Aoba’s day of work, and the two new friends left, chatting some more on the way as Ren directed them. Eren watched his feet as they walked.

“Hey, Aoba,” he began.

“Mm?”

“Do you play Rhyme at all?” Eren asked.

“Nah, I’m not into that stuff,” Aoba said. “Or Rib. It’s all just too much of a hassle. Why? Do you play?”

“I can’t. I don’t have an Allmate,” Eren said. “But it does look kind of interesting, you have to admit.”

“I suppose,” Aoba said. “I’m just a boring old geezer.” Eren chuckled.

“You said it, not me,” he said.

“You little—“ Aoba reached over and pushed his fist onto Eren’s head playfully. They were laughing as they arrived near the destination to deliver the package and suddenly, Aoba gasped and let out a yell, startling Eren. The boy watched his new friend practically pass out, falling to his knees. He managed to catch him before his face hit the ground.

“Aoba?” He shook him, then decided to lean him against the alley wall. He tried to start Ren back up, but the Allmate was also out cold. Eren looked around frantically. They were far away from the safer part of town, so he couldn’t leave Aoba alone. “Damn it.” He grabbed Aoba’s wrist and tried to use his Coil. It took him a while but he managed to find his contacts and skimmed through the names. He had no idea who these people were. Should he call Haga-san or Aoba’s grandma? He called Haga-san first, but the shop owner must have been busy because he didn’t pick up. The grandma didn’t respond either.

By now, Eren was beginning to panic. What happened? Was it safe to move him? He was still breathing. Why had Ren also...?

“Rhyme?” Eren almost whispered. Why was there no Usui or displayed match? Where was his opponent? Eren stood and looked around the alley walls, but saw no one. He wouldn’t venture any farther from Aoba in this situation, but he stood his guard. He wasn’t even sure if it was Rhyme, but why else would both Aoba and Ren just collapse? He had heard rumors of drive-by matches, but never an official report. He’d have to wait and see. Eren stared at Aoba’s face, waiting for him to wake up and hoping, praying that he was all right.

Aoba’s hand would twitch every so often and his brows furrowed in what looked like pain. Eren bit his lip. Something was wrong. Something was happening inside Aoba’s head. He was about to grab Aoba’s coil again and try to contact others, when Aoba’s body almost sat up. Eren gasped and stepped back. Aoba was still unconscious, but he had a different expression. It was almost scary. He began to mumble. Eren brought his ear a little closer.

They were Rhyme attacks. So it really was a drive-by! Aoba slumped over a little again. A moment later he sat up again, his eyes barely cracked open and a very disturbing smirk on his lips. Eren backed against the other side of the alley.

He was scared.

“Destruction and death.”

Eren froze up. That voice. It sent chills to his very core. That wasn’t Aoba. Eren wasn’t one to run. He couldn’t run. He couldn’t even move. Even as Aoba passed out yet again, even further asleep than before. Eren began to feel light-headed. He hadn’t been breathing properly, he was still frightened. He stepped to the side, the ground rapidly coming closer as he fell.

“Shit,” he breathed, his vision quickly going dark. Just before his consciousness left completely, he heard footsteps approaching. He could only hope it was someone who would help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *note: I know Ren isn't really based on a Pomeranian (pretty sure the official model was a Japanese Spitz) but they miniaturized him so much and gave him colored fur, so he's basically a Pomeranian.


	3. Corrupt Data

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of the drive-by. Eren doesn't know how to really act, torn between his uneasiness at what he witnessed and his concern for Aoba.

Aoba sat up quickly, gasping for air, then clutched his head. His whole body hurt like crazy.

“What...”

He looked around him. Ren and Eren were both passed out beside him. That’s right, they’d been on a delivery run. He picked up Ren and put a hand on Eren’s arm, shaking him a little.

“Hey...”

Eren woke up suddenly, and almost jumped away from him. Aoba didn’t understand, but he was glad his friend was all right. He turned his attention to Ren, starting him up and worrying when it took way too long.

“Aoba.”

Aoba sighed.

“Ren,” he said in relief. “Are you hurt at all?”

“Nothing major,” Ren responded. 

“Are you sure? You took a lot of damage back there.”

“Some of my data has been compromised,” Ren said.

“That is a major problem!” Aoba sighed. “I’ll take a look at you when we get home.” He pet his Allmate behind the ears and turned back to Eren, who was staring at him. “Are you okay? You couldn’t have been pulled in too, right?”

“I... no, I... I just...” Eren sighed. “You were pulled into Rhyme, right?”

“Y-yeah,” Aoba said, leaning against the wall as a wave of dizziness swept over him. “I can’t remember how it ended....”

“I kind of... passed out, so I don’t know,” Eren said. “It scared me.” He looked around. “Oh... we’re back at Heibon.”

“What?” Aoba forced himself to sit up straighter. They really were in front of the shop. “How did we get...?” He began to lose consciousness again.

“Aoba,” Ren said, alarmed.

“I’ll go get Haga-san!” Eren said and ran into the shop just as Aoba lost consciousness completely.

Eren didn’t mention the drive by in detail to Haga-san. He didn’t really know how. He was still shaken from seeing Aoba like that. Haga-san gave Aoba water and sent him home only when Eren said he would stay with him until he made it.

Eren walked close to him in case he started to sway, which happened often enough to make Eren concerned. As they talked, wondering what exactly had happened, Eren’s fears began to subside. The person he was talking with now was the Aoba he knew. And Aoba seemed to have no memory of even fighting. Eren kept his mouth shut about what he saw... what he heard. He wasn’t sure why he couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Maybe his subconscious thought if he ignored it it would go away.

Aoba and Ren took turns explaining the match, or what they could remember of it. Ren did bring up the fact that Aoba began to give him orders to attack, which Aoba didn’t remember doing. And the settings on the field they’d been dragged into had delivered the damage to their bodies, instead of curbing the damage in the mind. And since Aoba suspected he lost, it was a wonder he was able to walk.

There was a point when Aoba had to lean against Eren for a bit, refusing to stop because he just wanted to get home so he could sleep. When they arrived at Aoba’s house, Eren took the key from him and unlocked the door. No one was home, so Eren helped him up the stairs to his room and sat him onto his bed. Aoba let out a sigh so full of relief it was almost funny.

“Thanks again,” Aoba mumbled as he crawled under the covers. He’d taken medicine for his headache back at Heibon, but his body was in so much pain he couldn’t tell if it was working or not. “Sorry for passing out on you like this. You can go on home if you want. I should be fine.”

Eren sat on the floor at the table in the middle of Aoba’s room, looking around.

“I’m fine,” he said. “If you don’t mind me staying while you’re asleep. I already messaged my dad and told him I’d be late. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” Aoba smiled softly.

“You’re a good kid,” he said, his eyes closing of their own accord. Eren was about to retort that he wasn’t a kid, but Aoba was already asleep. He hadn’t even put Ren into sleep mode like he normally would have, so the dog padded over to Eren.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Ren?” Eren asked.

“Just some damaged data. Aoba will do maintenance when he wakes.”

“Do you mind if I take a look?” Eren asked, suddenly a little excited. “I won’t change anything, I promise. If I find a problem I can help Aoba fix it when he wakes up.” Ren hesitated and Eren could tell. “Don’t feel obligated. I totally understand if you say no.”

“I know your skill with Allmates, even though you do not own one,” Ren said. “And Aoba seems to trust you enough to work with you on one.” Eren bit his lip, waiting for Ren’s final answer. “If you do not change anything, it should be fine to take a look.”

Eren rejoiced on the inside. He’d never seen an Allmate as old as Ren. He picked the small frame up, almost surprised at how heavy he was compared to newer models of the same size. He couldn’t resist petting him behind his ears before searching through the fur on the back of his neck for where the control panel activates from. Instead, he found a series of cable ports.

“That’s right,” he said to himself, looking over at Aoba’s computer, and glad to see that it was on and the connector was already plugged into it. Ren did require regular maintenance, so Aoba probably left it there for ease. Eren scooted over to the computer on his bottom, holding Ren in his arms, and connected him to the computer.

When the control panel popped up, Eren read every piece of data, not wanting to miss anything.

“Reflector reaction speed is low,” he mumbled to himself again. “Other than that, nothing looks off....” He exited the control panel and unplugged the cord from Ren, patting him on the head. “Aoba will probably want to replace the chip just to be safe.”

“Understood.”

“So formal,” Eren commented and chuckled. “Guess he needs someone to keep him in line, huh?” Ren didn’t respond. Eren crossed his legs and leaned forward, looking around the room in the orange light of evening. “He wouldn’t mind if I looked around the house, would he? Just to look.”

“Probably not,” Ren answered. “I will come with you, just in case.” Eren smiled, picking the Allmate up. “I am capable of walking.”

“I know,” Eren said, providing no other explanation as he headed out into the house, peeking back at the unconscious Aoba on his way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is from Eren's POV mostly, because I want to not repeat things from the game as much as possible. Like, the events still happen, but if nothing really changes from the game, I don't want to have to write it all out when we already know what it was, ya get me? But Eren goes to get some advice, and where do people usually go to get advice (in English-speaking television/movies, anyways)?


	4. Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren tries to sort out what happened.

Aoba woke up only when he smelled Granny’s cooking. He groaned and sat up, still aching but not dizzy anymore. He looked for Ren but didn’t find him. He got up, frowning, and made his way downstairs to find the kitchen more crowded than usual. To his surprise, Eren was standing at the stove, frying something that Aoba was sure Granny had started for him. Granny was sitting at the table to supervise from a distance and Koujaku was having a conversation with both of them.

“You finally decided to join us, I see,” Granny commented, spying him entering from the hallway. The others turned, Eren with a concerned look on his face. He hadn’t told them about the drive-by at all, and he was still worried for his friend’s health.

“Ah, yeah,” Aoba said, scratching the back of his head. “I was just really tired.”

“You can say that again,” Koujaku quipped. “We called for you several times, but your little friend seemed to not want to disturb you.” He gestured to Eren, who kept his eyes on his work once he was satisfied that Aoba was okay. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied. He would tell Koujaku about the drive-by later. He didn’t want to worry Granny.

“Then make yourself useful and set the table,” Granny ordered.

“Fine,” Aoba said with a sigh, pulling plates and cups from the cupboard next to the stove. He spoke quietly to Eren beside him. “Sorry for passing out on you like that.”

“It’s okay,” Eren said just as quietly. “Are you doing okay?”

“Well, I feel like I got hit by a semi truck,” Aoba said with a bit of lightheartedness, hoping to not worry him too much, but unable to say he was fine. He took the dishes to the table to avoid being yelled at for taking too long. After a delicious meal with friends, Eren decided to take his leave and allow Aoba to discuss the day’s events with Koujaku without him there to interrupt. He didn’t want to seem rude, but he still wasn’t completely comfortable around the hairdresser, and he couldn’t understand why.

He walked home on his own, having to rely heavily on his sense of direction to not get lost. He seemed to go a little too far east toward Aoyagi Street, and for some reason he came to a stop in front of a shop giving off a bright purple glow. He looked at the door, finding the name, “Black Needle”, painted there. Out of curiosity, a similar one that led him into Heibon the week prior, he opened the door and stepped inside.

He quickly surmised that this place served multiple purposes: the obvious being a bar in the far corner. After a quick scan around the front desk, and finding a price listing, he determined that it was a tattoo parlor. His entrance had made a soft sound permeate the room, alerting whoever was working to come see to their customer.

“I’ll be right there!” he heard a voice call from a room behind the front counter. If he listened closely, he could hear a high-pitched whirring sound. After a minute, two people came out of the back room. The man was giving the girl instructions on how to care for her new tattoo, and to call him if she needed anything. She thanked him and left. Eren kind of stared.

“What can I do for you?” the man asked, leaning against the counter with a smooth smile on his face.

“Ah, I just... was looking...” Eren stuttered, telling himself that he really needed to stop wandering into places for no reason.

“Look as long as you’d like,” the man said. “A tattoo isn’t something that you rush.”

“Oh, I’m not even... Am I old enough to get a tattoo?” he wondered, suddenly. The man chuckled.

“If you’re over thirteen, then yes. But if you’re under eighteen, you’ll need a parent or guardian to vouch for you,” he said.

“I’m seventeen,” Eren said. “I doubt my dad would let me get one. I wasn’t really looking for one anyways. I just... walked in, for some reason.”

“Oh?” the man asked, not seeming to be put off by this at all, similar to Aoba in that manner. “Well, if you need someone to just talk to, I’m also, rather conveniently, a bartender!” He gestured to the bar in the corner. “Bartenders are notorious for hearing people’s life problems, aren’t they?” He chuckled and Eren smiled a little.

“I guess... I just don’t really know what to do right now,” Eren began. “Like... I have this friend, see. We’ve known each other for about a week, but we clicked right away. We both really like Allmates and working with the parts and assembly and maintenance.”

“Sounds like one of my friends,” the tattooist/bartender commented with a smile. “He’s never viewed his Allmate as just a machine, he’s his best friend.”

“That does sound like him,” Eren said. “So today, we were walking home after he got off work, and he got hit by a Rhyme drive-by, it came out of nowhere, he just fell to the ground.” The man frowned.

“Damn Rhymers, can’t even stick to the rules they went through the trouble of making,” he sneered.

“It’s just some people being stupid and irresponsible,” Eren sort of defended. “It can happen with anything, if put into the wrong hands. Anyways, while he was unconscious, he... he wasn’t himself. He was acting weird, his expression changed and he spoke with a voice that was... It gave me the chills. It was... dangerous.” They were both silent for a moment.

“Well, it scared me shitless, and I passed out,” he continued. “Next thing I know we’re in front of his shop again. I still don’t know how we got there.”

“And he didn’t remember what happened?” the man asked.

“He was in the drive-by and didn’t remember ever fighting back, because he’d never played Rhyme,” Eren explained. “But his Allmate said he gave him instructions to attack, and even I heard him saying attacks, in that weird voice. But he doesn’t remember any of it, and he went back to normal after it was over. I just don’t know if I was just imagining things or if something serious actually happened. But if it did, I don’t know what it was or what it means.” He sighed, taking a moment to come back to the present.

“I feel lighter,” he said. “Is that weird?” The man chuckled.

“That’s normal,” he said. “When things are bothering you, it’s like a weight on your shoulders, so once you let yourself talk about it, it helps organize your thoughts, and that weight gets a little lighter, even if you don’t figure it out. It’s one of the reasons I like being a bartender: I get to help people simply by letting them have a safe place to talk.” He smiled, his bright green eyes nearly closing completely.

“I’m Eren, by the way,” the boy said, feeling like he should apologize for talking this man’s ear off, but something told him it was fine.

“I’m Mizuki,” the man said. “It’s nice to meet you. Sorry about your friend, though. Sounds rough. Just try not to get into any trouble with Rhyme, especially in this area. I hate to say it’s my fault, but this area isn’t very Rhyme-friendly. My team runs it and I can’t seem to stop ratting on it. Some of my more energetic members have been getting into fights with Rhymers for no reason.”

“You don’t like Rhyme very much, do you?”

“I hate it,” Mizuki said simply. “But that’s no reason to punch someone’s jaw. I just wish it wasn’t getting as popular as it is. A lot of my members are leaving the team to play Rhyme.” He rubbed his eyes, clearly frustrated with his own problems.

“Why can’t they do both?” Eren asked. He knew about Ribsteez, obviously. He knew Koujaku was in Beni-Shigure from when they’d met at Aoba’s house. He recognized Mizuki’s tag art on his neck and cheek, but he couldn’t remember which team it belonged to. Mikasa had always tried to get him to avoid the Rib teams, not wanting him to be in any unnecessary danger. Mizuki seemed to contemplate his question for a while.

“I guess it just seems like if you’re not fully invested in one, you won’t be fully invested in the other,” he said. “I just don’t see a good way to combine the two. It can cause unwanted conflict that has nothing to do with the team and bring trouble for the rest of us. And those drive-bys are a whole other reason to not want to get involved.”

“Well, Aoba wasn’t involved and he still got pulled in,” Eren said. “I don’t think they discriminate between Rhyme or Rib or pedestrian.” Mizuki’s face had gone cold.

“Did you just say ‘Aoba’?”

“Ah.... yeah, that’s my friend who got pulled into a dri–“

“Seragaki Aoba?”

“You know him?”

“We’re friends,” Mizuki said quickly. “He got pulled into a Rhyme drive-by? Is he okay? Do you know who did it?”

“I–He’s fine, I think,” Eren said. “He slept all afternoon, said his body hurts because they had turned off the damage curb, but that he’s fine otherwise. He said the person wore a mask, and I didn’t see anyone nearby when it happened.” Mizuki hissed through his teeth, his hands in tight fists.

“He’s probably asleep by now,” he said, checking the clock. “I’ll pop by Heibon tomorrow at lunch and see him, make sure he’s okay.”

“Okay,” Eren said, not really sure how to respond. “Can I ask what team you’re in?” Mizuki chuckled lightly.

“I’m the leader of Dry Juice,” he said. “Biggest Rib team. Well... not sure how long that title will last.” His smile wavered. “But yeah. It’s time for me to clean up shop, and you should probably get home.”

“Yeah,” Eren said, almost not wanting to leave Mizuki alone, almost wanting to let him talk to him like he had so graciously done for him. But, as Mizuki had said, it was very late, and he was already a little anxious about walking around town at this hour. So he bowed and left, grateful that the street lamps were all working as he made his way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story is on an official hiatus, because I haven't written on it in months and I didn't want to get people's hopes up. This chapter is literally just something I had sitting around and hadn't uploaded so I'm doing that now, since it seemed sound enough to post even if I don't have the next bit written. So enjoy some Mizuki, I like writing for him. I'm going to keep this listed as on hiatus or even discontinued until I can get into a significant writing surge. So while it is officially on hiatus, random updates might still happen. Just not on a regular basis.


End file.
